A musical grimoire to evoke your darkest nightmare...

The Necronomicon is said to contain the lost knowledge of the Elder Gods, the ancient lords of darkness that held dominion over the Earth aeons ago. Believed to hold the key to opening forgotten gateways between worlds, the text prophesies the return of the Great Old Ones and contains forbidden rituals of summoning that will bring about their resurrection.
Now, for the first time ever, the Necronomicon is set to music with this a powerful and sinister symphony by Nox Arcana. This epic concept album based on H.P. Lovecraft's legendary book of shadows features a mixture of exotic, dark fantasy themes, ominous orchestrations, Gothic choirs, Egyptian and Middle-Eastern melodies, eerie voices and otherworldly chants.

Press Reviews

A flawless performance, an occult mosaic planned and executed with rhythmic precision. Nox Arcana's Necronomicon is a masterful blend of dark desires and the Cthulhu mythos. The CD is an impressive tribute; to appreciate the sum of its parts it should be played as a stand-alone piece replete with candles, cobwebs, and musty books.

Long before mankind existed, the Old Ones trod upon the Earth... and so commences the Gothic musical journey of Nox Arcana's newest cd, NECRONOMICON. Inspired by the "Mad Arab" and H.P. Lovecraft, Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski wrote this concept album based on the Cthulhu Mythos. For those not well-versed in the Necronomicon, this is a great 45-minute crash course on the prophecies of the Old Ones returning to the Earthly realm to wreck havoc on mankind, complete with a booklet containing follow-along text and illustrations. Learn about Yog-Sothoth, the keeper of the gates between our world and that of the dead. Discover mighty Cthulhu, high priest of the Old Ones, and await his return when the stars are aligned just right. One can't help but get excited with these sinister symphonies for when the gate is opened once more. The mix of Gothic choirs, Egyptian and Middle Eastern melodies and ominous chants is deliciously dark and seductive.

They've hit the mark on this one. Necronomicon is a delightfully eerie, aural exploration of the Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft's work does have a melodramatic flavour to it that doesn't translate well unless you acknowledge it. Well, Vargo and Piotrowski have done just that, and the result is delicious!

Joseph Vargo and William Piotrowski, the duet that is behind all the amazing music in Nox Arcana, delivers here 21 musical passages full of beauty and darkness that are like a soundtrack to a movie detailing Lovecraft's dreams. It is amazing to listen to what these guys create with their instruments, making dark chord progressions and creating incredibly obscure melodies over them. I really like the use of vocal choruses in tracks like "The Nameless City" because they add a lot to the haunting atmosphere that this recording has. Nox Arcana transports the listener to new dark places with their music making each of the compositions here a unique experience. There is amazing musicianship here that allows this duet to orchestrate each of the tracks making them really dark masterworks. This is an ideal record to listen to with the lights out, in complete darkness, or closing your eyes and letting your mind fly. A must!

I was so excited when this album appeared in my mailbox, I could hardly contain myself! Since Nox Arcana are masters of building soundtracks that transport you into other worlds, I knew exactly how I had to listen to it. I put the CD on my surround sound system, curled up with a copy of HP Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror and other stories, and was immediately immersed in the mysteries of the Cthulhu Mythos.
As with all of their albums, Nox Arcana leave no stone unturned in their quest to bring the Great Old Ones to life through their patented brand of morbid music. We are treated to Eldritch Rites, the Ritual Of Summoning, visions of The Nameless City, and even Cthulhu Rising. Gods of the pantheon, such as Azathoth, Yog-Sothoth, and Dagon are paid homage to with beautiful orchestra pieces as well. Fans of Lovecraft take heed, by simply playing these sounds from the stygian depths, you may allow yourselves to become host to any number of lurkers in the dark. Your sanity may even hang in the balance, as you desperately reach for your CD player's power switch.
The liner booklet is filled with images and incantations (courtesy of macabre art superstar/band-member Joseph Vargo) that appear to be ripped from the very nightmares of dear Mr. Lovecraft. It is this kind of attention to detail that truly places Nox Arcana in a genre all their own, always creating an entire work of art, not just an album.
Don't wait until the stars are right to purchase Nox Arcana's Necronomicon, get your copy and open a gateway to a time before time, where Elder Gods roam a vast musical landscape, and madness is par for the course.

Classically arranged and wonderfully visionary. A brooding masterpiece. One of the most frightening pieces of music ever pressed. The darkness that surrounds Necronomicon as a whole is truly mind numbing.

Listener Reviews

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Nox Arcana do a fine line in creepy symphonic gothic electronic metal. As you could guess from the name, Necronomicon was inspired by the mythos of one Howard Phillips Lovecraft. The brief spoken word bits on this CD are from the great man's work. For once, a band, or in this case a duo, have fully realised the creeping menace that is the Cthulhu mythos. Admirers of HPL's work will recognise the names of the tracks including "Yog-Sothoth," "Nyarlathotep," "The Black Pharaoh" and "Cthulhu." There are 21 tracks of symphonic eerieness on here. The right balance is struck between tunefullness and the sense of dread. One can truly say that the reading of Lovecraft and his successors now have a soundtrack. Those of us who continue to add to the mythos genre will have some audio inspiration should we need it. This is by far the best audio or visual piece inspired by Lovecraft's work to emerge in a very long time.Marty Dodge, Temple of Dagon

Necronomicon

I highly recommend Necronomicon. It's the perfect horror mood music any time of year. And be sure to check out their first release as well, Darklore Manor. Both cds are perfect gifts for any horror lover on your list!Chiller Cinema

Necronomicon

With their 2nd release Necronomicon, Nox Arcana delve into the world of H.P. Lovecraft and continue to conjure up dark and eerie images through their music. Just be careful where and when you listen to it, in case you conjure up some unwanted guests.Kitley's Krypt

Necronomicon

Necronomicon would make a great soundtrack to the original Lovecraft-inspired computer game.Urotsukidoji's Pad

I use this record by Nox Arcana as ritual music when working Current 23, or Lovecraftian Magick. The music is evocative of the essence of Lovecraft's writing and thus a perfect psychological trigger for the Chaos Magician to utilize in calling forth the primordial forces of the unknown and the shadow under the godforms of the Great Old Ones. Particularly effective is Temple of the Black Pharoah in envoking Nyarlathotep.

This album is, by far, the best music to listen to whilst reading Lovecraft stories or any fiction inspired by his works. Truly great atmospheric music, and worth every penny. When mighty Cthulhu returns, I hope he spares Nox Arcana so they can make more albums like this.

I don't usually listen to this type of music (I'm more of a headbanger), but this incredible! I stumbled across it by accident, I'm a huge Lovecraft fan, so I gave it a try. It's dark, deep, creepy and epic. I like to put it on while playing video games or D&D with my friends.

Being a fan of both Orchestra and the horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, I found this and thought it was great. The voice that was introduces the characters (Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, ect.) is a voice that's perfect for this setting. If you like Orchestra (or just some background music), buy the album. I doesn't really make sense to buy just one song.

Well, where to begin besides stating "excellent album". Really beautiful music and narrations, reallly captures the feel of Lovecraft's magnum opus Cthulhu Mythos. Buy this and use it as background music for your next summonings!!! :)

This is by far one of Nox Arcanas best, I dont know how they do it but they do. They make simple words on paper into beautiful works of art and music the composure of these songs is both chilling and amazing all at the same time. The songs on this specific album are simlply, "Enchanting".

I never new who Nox Arcana was until my friends Rachel and Grace told me about them. I started listening about three months ago, and I started with this CD. This CD is truly inspirational. I really like how they turned a reading selection and turned it into a whole album. I've never read Lovcraft before, but I'm going to now!

This album is awsome! Nox Arcana did an excellent job of incorpating the ideas of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft into music and created something truely unique in doing so. I've seen many literary variations on Lovecraft's literature, but this is the first musical development of it that I've seen. As a big fan of Lovecraftian literature, I find this album definately worth purchasing and I would recommend it to anyone who finds Lovecraft's works interesting.